Sage
Susan Mahr, University of Wisconsin - Madison

The International Herb Association has designated Sage (Salvia officinalis) as the Herb of the Year 2001. Native to the shores of the northern Mediterranean, sage is an aromatic, rather woody perennial shrub that grows to about 2 feet tall.  The pebbly, slightly fuzzy, oval leaves up to 5" long vary in color from gray to gray-green, purple or golden. The camphor-scented, bluish-lavender flowers are  borne on spike-like stems. Its soft-colored foliage and profusion of lovely purple-blue flower spikes blend beautifully into any herb garden. 

The word "sage" has come to mean "wise" or "a wise or learned person." It's scientific name, Salvia, means "to be in good health", "to save", or "salvation" while officinalis is an old reference to an herb store, pharmacy, or drugstore. In the language of flowers sage signifies good health, and its healing abilities are reflected in a saying that arose in the early Middle Ages: "Why should a man die when sage flourishes in his garden?"  Sage is often mentioned as the herb of immortality, domestic virtue, health, and wisdom. Sage was a sacred ceremonial herb of the Romans. It has been cultivated for both culinary and medicinal purposes for many centuries in England, France and Germany. 

Cultivation

Sage grows best in a sunny location with well-drained soil. It will tolerate drought and poor soil fertility, but will produce better with consistent water. Prune the plant in the spring and a few times through the growing season to encourage young shoots with a strong flavor and to prevent it from becoming leggy and twiggy. Space your plants 18 to 24 inches apart and divide every couple of years to rejuvenate the plants.

The gray leaves of the common varieties contrast nicely with the green of many other plants, so sage doesn't have to be relegated to the herb or vegetable garden. Try planting sage in the border, especially intermixed with pink flowering plants. The smaller varieties can also be grown as container plants to be brought inside for a supply of fresh sage through the cold winter months.

Sage is easy to start from seed (although most named varieties are not available as seed) and it can also be reproduced by layering, by division, or from stem cuttings. To grow from seed, either plant directly in the ground on the average date of last frost or start indoors 6 to 8 weeks before then. Either way the plant may not flower the first year. Layer established branches in the spring and fall, or divide large plants in the spring. Take softwood stem cuttings in summer and root in a sand-peat mixture.

Sage takes 75 days from planting to first harvest. At least twice during the growing season, cut 6-8" from the top of the plants. Pick the leaves as desired as long as you don't cut back more than half the plant or it will stop producing. Harvest before the plant flowers. 

Although fresh sage has a richer and more balanced flavor than dried, it's usually not available during the winter. To preserve fresh sage, chop the leaves, place in an ice cube tray with water, and freeze to use later. To dry sage, tie springs in loose bundles and air-dry in a cool place or place branches on wire racks out of direct sunlight. When dry and brittle, remove the leaves from the stems and store in an airtight container.  Hang bunches of sage in the kitchen for a nice herbal ambiance. You might even try using sage in an herbal wreath. 

Sage has few pests when grown in well-drained soil. Good air circulation will reduce potential problems with foliar diseases. Some possible problems include slugs, spider mites, spittle bugs, root rot and wilt.

Varieties

There are many different cultivars of sage which differ in leaf size, plant habit and leaf color. The purple or golden varieties make delightful ornamental houseplants. They're smaller plants than the green or gray varieties, but the flavor of the leaves is just as good. Some of the more commonly offered varieties include:

• Golden sage 'Aurea':  This variety has chartreuse-yellow leaves enhanced by dark green areas around the veins.

• 'Berggarten':  So named because it was discovered growing at the Berggarten Mansion in Germany. Larger-than-average, gray-blue silvery, round leaves and a bushy habit that stays full down to the base of the stems. Mildew resistant. 

• 'Icterina':  Golden variegated leaves, used mainly as an ornamental.

• 'Compacta':  This dwarf version of the standard sage has smaller leaves and more compact habit than regular sage, growing only 10 inches high, but with the same sage flavor. Excellent for small areas, rockeries, and borders. It is propagated by cuttings only; seeds are unavailable.

• 'Holt's Mammoth':  Similar to the standard variety, but leaves are larger.

• Purple sage ('Purpurea' or 'Purpurascens'):  A hardy cultivar thatp grows 18 inches tall. The purple leaves are strongly flavored. Also nice as an ornamental to complement yellow blossoms in the garden. Not as winter hardy as common sage.

• 'Tricolor':  Green leaves edged in white and with rose streaks. Can be grown as a houseplant.  Mulch outdoors over the winter.

Besides these cultivars, there are many other closely related species of sage that can be used as herbs. Clary sage (S. sclarea) is a biennial or perennial with long spikes of white, purple, or blue flowers that can reach four feet high. S. viridis is an ornamental annual sometimes sold as clary. It produces pink bracts that resemble flowers and make excellent cut or dried flowers, but it has no herbal use. Pineapple sage (S. elegans) is an annual north of Zone 8 with pineapple-scented foliage and spikes of red flowers in late summer and fall. Its leaves can be used for teas and in fruit salads. Other related herbs include blue sage (S. clevelandii) and silver sage (S. argentea). 

Uses

There are a multitude of uses for sage including culinary, medicinal, craft and ornamental. In the U.S. most people are familiar with sage in the stuffing for turkeys at Thanksgiving, but it shouldn't be restricted to this use. In other countries sage is used in a variety of sauces, especially with fatty meats. In Italy, the fresh leaves are lightly fried with liver, and rolled up with ham and veal in saltimbocca. In Germany and Belgium, the leaves are added to eel and other oily fish dishes. And in Middle Eastern countries the leaves are used liberally in salads.

Try using fresh sage with cheese or chicken dishes, or use it as a dry rub on pork chops before grilling. Use the flowers in salads, or make sage vinegar and sage butter.  Dip and fry whole leaves in batter or young leaves in cream, and eat with sugar and orange.  Shelley Ryan of the WI Gardener program on WI Public TV offers this recipe for fried sage leaves:

Deep Fried Sage Leaves

• ½ cup white flour

• salt

• ½ cup sparkling mineral water

• 1 tbsp vegetable oil

• 1 egg white

• 15 large sage leaves

• oil for frying

Mix flour with a speck of salt. Add mineral water and oil; blend.  Gently stir in one egg white that has been whipped until almost stiff.  Dip sage leaves in mixture and fry in hot oil (about 350 degrees) until browned.  Watch carefully, as the light batter browns quickly.  Remove from the oil, drain on paper towels, and serve warm.  This recipe can easily be doubled.

While sage is more commonly thought of as a culinary herb, it is also has medicinal and cosmetic uses. Sage tea is purported to have antiseptic qualities good for sore throats, aid in digestion, and may boost insulin action (of course discuss this with your doctor if you have diabetes). It probably tastes better, though, if mixed with peppermint. To make a tea, pour a cup of boiling water over one to two teaspoons of dried leaves and steep for ten minutes. Because sage has a fairly high concentration of an oil that may harm the liver in high doses, it should not be taken internally on a continuous basis for more than a week or two, and should also be avoided by epileptics and pregnant women.

A poultice of sage leaves mixed with saliva supposedly provides relief from the itching and swelling of insect bites, a strong infusion can be used to darken gray hair, it is frequently mentioned as an antiperspirant, and it has been reported to relieve a plethora of other ills, such as diarrhea, coughs and colds, snake-bite, and for wart removal.